A blog about hiking around the Midwest and beyond

Council Bluff Lake – Missouri

Over the summer, my good friend Nicole and I took a trip to Council Bluff Lake near Enough, Missouri. This lake is south of Potosi and about an hour and a half from St. Louis. Nicole and her husband recently started kayaking and I was super excited when she asked if I wanted to come along!

As a tip, when using Google Maps, make sure your directions are taking you to the Council Bluff Lake Campground and not the Council Bluff Beach. GPS directions to the beach try to direct you to a closed road and adds a significant amount of time to the drive!

We arrived at the lake and unloaded the kayaks. I was really nervous because I have never been kayaking before and I am not the best swimmer. Everything went really smooth though! Nicole was super patient and taught me everything I needed to know.

We paddled past several coves and towards the dam. We floated around, just taking and enjoying the beautiful weather!

There is a hiking trail that circles the lake, but it was refreshing to experience nature from a different angle. Most of the time we are on the hiking trail and looking out at the water or lake and this time, it was interesting to look back at the shore.

One of the best parts of the day was that…Ellie came along! I had taken her canoeing a long time ago, but wanted to give this a shot. She doesn’t love swimming, but she is always up for an adventure so into the kayak she went! It took her a bit to get situated, but she laid on my lap and I paddled over her. I guess she thought kayaking was relaxing as well since she even fell asleep on the job!

We had such a great time and I am so thankful Nicole invited us along! I am always open to new experiences and this was fantastic! I might even buy an inflatable kayak and keep it in the camper! I hope Nicole invites us to kayak again this year and a special thank you to Seth for letting me borrow his kayak!